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I was reading the book "Daham Danum Sangrahaya 1" about facts of Buddhism written by a Buddhist monk. And it says if all the people in a region are educated it would be a problem.

I want to know if Buddha has ever said something like that? That education could be a problem for the society.

Thanks.

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    please mention the book name, author and page number so that if anyone else has read that book they could easily relate to your question
    – TheDarkKnightRules
    Commented Nov 16, 2014 at 15:11
  • "Daham Danum Sangrahaya 1" I dont think anyone have read it. It's in Sinhala language.
    – Gmnd-i
    Commented Nov 16, 2014 at 15:23
  • What was the surrounding context then? Anti-intellectualism is a common feature of modern dicussions of spirtuality and the afterlife because common spirtual themes like reincarnation do so poorly when subjected to empirical methods. One way to deal with this is to dismiss scientists and intellectuals and irrelevant problem-makers, charlatans and so on which allows one to keep faith in miracles, reincarnation, rakshas, etc. Other authors do a better job of finding productive common ground.
    – MatthewMartin
    Commented Nov 16, 2014 at 16:41
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    Perhaps you could quote an entire paragraph or two, to see whether anyone understands or recognizes what was said.
    – ChrisW ♦
    Commented Nov 16, 2014 at 21:33
  • Actually, I think this relates more to the idea that too much education leads people to intellectualize everything. That is by far considered the most prevalent problem in modern society by many people, Buddhists, Hindus and others alike.
    – Vishwa Jay
    Commented Nov 20, 2014 at 22:19

4 Answers 4

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It's important to read the full context of what that teacher said. Also, if someone simply says: "The Buddha said this or that", then that's not good enough. He'll need to provide backup sutras/suttas references. For example, in the suttas education is very important:

"Friend, the Blessed One has described you as being endowed with seven amazing, astounding qualities. Which seven? 'Hatthaka of Alavi is endowed with conviction. He is virtuous. He has a sense of conscience. He has a sense of concern. He is learned. He is generous. He is discerning.' Friend, the Blessed One has described you as being endowed with these seven amazing, astounding qualities." ~ AN 8.23 ~

"Even so, he who is experienced and has a well-trained mind, who is learned and dependable, 2 clearly knowing, he can help others to understand who are willing to listen and ready to receive" ~ Sn 2.8 ~

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I haven't really come across such a remark in the suttas in Theravada. If the book doesn't refer to any sutta in the canon the monk is probably writing down his own opinion.

On the contrary, in the Mangala sutta Buddha praised learnedness when answering a question by one of the devas regarding what brings the highest blessing to a person,

[Deva:]

Many devas and human beings give thought to protection, desiring well-being. Tell, then, the highest protection.

[The Buddha:]

[..]
Living in a civilized land, having made merit in the past, directing oneself rightly: This is the highest protection.
Broad knowledge, skill, well-mastered discipline, well-spoken words: This is the highest protection.
Support for one's parents, assistance to one's wife and children, consistency in one's work: This is the highest protection
[..]
Mangala sutta [Thanissaro Bhikkhu Trans]

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Just like anything, if you approach a subject thinking that all you need to do in order to understand it is to reduce it into terms you already feel comfortable with, terms that are already socially acceptable, you're going to face obstacles in getting to the deeper message.

Getting an academic education today, and the ego boost it can leave you with if you're prone to that kind of thing, is bound to be a kind of obstacle to understanding.

I suspect that the intention of the author was to imply just this, and not that reason is to be thrown out the door.

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It is not being educated itself that is an issue. People who becomes educated sometime distance themselves from those who don't. Thus, that create some sense of ego boost and have the urge of not "feeling enough". The thoughts that they need to be educated to better than others are the causes of pain and suffering.

The term being intellectual in Buddhism isn't necessarily the same thing as obtaining more knowledge, it is more into trying to understand the meaning of what is being learned, why is it the way it is, and how would that affect someone in some way. It is not about "hey, I know more than you do." Instead, it's more like "Oh I see... that's why it is what it is."

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